There is a Rev. Samuel, who establishes himself as a prophet early on. Our hero is named David Shepherd.  Saul er Silas Benjamin is King, and we know he has turned away from God when he gives a monologue endorsing evolution.  In the first episode David, blows up a Goliath tank but he uses a grenade instead of a smooth stone, he even takes off his "armor" before going out to fight Goliath.  This is the story of David, there is no use listing parallels, because only the setting is different.

Well there are a few differences.  One is that Jonathan (Saul's son) is actually a homosexual named Jack, and from the first episode it doesn't look too much like he will be enjoying a friendship with David.  Most striking however is that David is not the warrior the Bible claims he was.  David is peaceful, he hates war.  Instead of slaughtering the enemy David makes peace.  The David I read about was a little different.  Consider; I Samuel 18:27, II Samuel 2:31, II Samuel 4:12, and II Samuel 10:18.

But this David is perfect for 20th century America.  We all want to be Christians, but only to the point where it is comfortable for us.  Good, wise and loving King David would never have killed two hundred people, then mutilated them.  That part of the story is unattractive let's forget about it and show how David was peaceful.  

I think there are two possible motives for this.  One is that the producers want to make a television program that the most people will watch.  I think they've made King David exactly how 51.3 percent of the country imagines him.  The second is more sinister.  Now that NBC has shown us how biblical they are, maybe they feel like they can slip a few ideas into some Bible stories and move the opinions' of the viewers.

This sounds a little like all of the typical anti-media garbage that comes from Pat Robertson and company.  (I see you Mr. Dobson)  I really don't think the "media" has any hidden secret motives, save one, to make as much money as possible.  To that end the media shows us what we want to see.  But what if what is really behind the subtle changes to David's character are from both motives?  Is the peaceful, war-hating David, the one we want to believe in?  It is easy to replace the imagery I had in my head of what I interpret to have really happened, with that of a well-produced Sunday night drama.  And if I do I can skip over all the parts that I don't understand or that I don't like.

I enjoyed the first episode of the series, and will probably continue watching.  But we must be careful with all of this Christianity in popular culture.  As my favorite philosopher said, "We have seen the enemy, and they is us."  The more "Bible stories," that get dramatized, the less of the Truth we may know.